People who bought this also bought...

The Kingdom of Speech

Tom Wolfe, whose legend began in journalism, takes us on an eye-opening journey that is sure to arouse widespread debate. The Kingdom of Speech is a captivating, paradigm-shifting argument that speech - not evolution - is responsible for humanity's complex societies and achievements.

The Undocumented Mark Steyn: Don't Say You Weren't Warned

He's brash, brilliant, and drawn to controversy like a moth to a flame. For decades, Mark Steyn has dazzled audiences around the world with his raucous wit and brutal honesty. Whether he's sounding off on the tyranny of political correctness, the existential threat of Islamic extremism, the "nationalization" of the family, or the "near suicidal stupidity" of America's immigration regime, Steyn is always provocative - and often laugh-out-loud hilarious.

A Torch Kept Lit: Great Lives of the Twentieth Century

In a half century on the national stage, William F. Buckley Jr. achieved unique stature as a polemicist and the undisputed godfather of modern American conservatism. He knew everybody, hosted everybody at his East 73rd Street maisonette, skewered everybody who needed skewering, and in general lived life on a scale, and in a swashbuckling manner, that captivated and inspired countless young conservatives across that half century.

Wealth, Poverty, and Politics: An International Perspective

In Wealth, Poverty, and Politics, Thomas Sowell, one of the foremost conservative public intellectuals in the country, argues that political and ideological struggles have led to dangerous confusion about income inequality in America. Pundits and politically motivated economists trumpet ambiguous statistics and sensational theories while ignoring the true determinant of income inequality: the production of wealth.

No God but One: Allah or Jesus?: A Former Muslim Investigates the Evidence for Islam and Christianity

On account of the superficial points of agreement between Islam and Christianity, many don't see how tremendously deep the divides between them really are, and fewer still have considered the evidence for each faith. How is jihad different from the Crusades? Can we know the life of Jesus as well as the life of Muhammad? What reason is there to believe in one faith over the other, and what difference can the Gospel really make?

The Problem with Socialism

Remember when socialism was a dirty word? Now students at America's elite universities are parroting socialist talking points and "sure thing" Hillary Clinton is struggling to win the Democratic nomination against a 74-year-old avowed socialist who promises to make the nation more like Europe. What's happened? Do Americans need a reminder about the dangers of socialist ideology and practices?

The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades)

You think you know about Islam. But, did you know that Islam teaches that Muslims must wage war to impose Islamic law on non-Muslim states, or that American Muslim groups are engaged in a huge cover-up of Islamic doctrine? These and other "politically incorrect" facts are revealed by Robert Spencer in The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades).

It's Dangerous to Believe: Religious Freedom and Its Enemies

In It's Dangerous to Believe, Mary Eberstadt documents how people of faith - especially Christians who adhere to traditional religious beliefs - face widespread discrimination in today's increasingly secular society. Eberstadt details how recent laws, court decisions, and intimidation on campuses and elsewhere threaten believers who fear losing their jobs, their communities, and their basic freedoms solely because of their convictions.

In Trump We Trust: E Pluribus Awesome! (That Was the Easy Part) and Is Fighting for US

Donald Trump isn't a politician - he's a one-man wrecking ball against our dysfunctional and corrupt establishment. We're about to see the deluxe version of the left's favorite theme: Vote for us, or we'll call you stupid. It's the working class against the smirking class. Now Ann Coulter, with her unique insight, candor, and sense of humor, makes the definitive case for why we should all join his revolution.

Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Rich

In his New York Times best-selling books Extortion and Throw Them All Out, Schweizer detailed patterns of official corruption in Washington that led to congressional resignations and new ethics laws. In Clinton Cash he follows the Clinton money trail, revealing the connection between their personal fortune, their close personal friends, the Clinton Foundation, foreign nations, and some of the highest ranks of government.

A war is being waged against us by radical Islamists, and, as current events demonstrate, they are only getting stronger. Al-Qaeda has morphed into a much more dangerous, menacing threat: ISIS. Lt. General Michael T. Flynn is blunt and urgent. This book aims to inform the American people of the grave danger we face in the war on terror—and will continue to face—until our government takes decisive action against the terrorists that want nothing more than to destroy us and our way of life.

The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels

For decades environmentalists have told us that using fossil fuels is a self-destructive addiction that will destroy our planet. Yet by every measure of human well-being, from life expectancy to clean water to climate safety, life has been getting better and better. How can this be? The explanation is that we usually hear only one side of the story. We're taught to think only of the negatives of fossil fuels, their risks and side effects, but not their positives.

Clean House: Exposing Our Government's Secrets and Lies

Americans are rightly worried they are losing their country. How did five congressional committees miss the smoking gun on Benghazi? How did Hillary Clinton keep a secret email server quiet for years? Does the IRS audit you because of your politics? Did the first American target of Obama's drone program work for the US government? How did Congress commit fraud to get Obamacare taxpayer subsidies? In Clean House Tom Fitton answers these questions and provides shocking evidence of the corruption endemic to the Obama White House.

The Devil’s Pleasure Palace: The Cult of Critical Theory and the Subversion of the West

In the aftermath of World War II, America stood alone as the world's premier military power. Yet its martial confidence contrasted vividly with its sense of cultural inferiority. Still looking to a defeated and dispirited Europe for intellectual and artistic guidance, burgeoning transnational elite in New York and Washington embraced not only the war's refugees but many of their ideas as well, and nothing has proven more pernicious than those of the Frankfurt School and its reactionary philosophy of "critical theory".

Stephen P. Manning says:"I tried but I finally couldn't take it anymore"

Adios, America

Ann Coulter is back, more fearless than ever. In Adios, America she touches the third rail in American politics, attacking the immigration issue head-on and flying in the face of La Raza, the Democrats, a media determined to cover up immigrants' crimes, churches that get paid by the government for their "charity," and greedy Republican businessmen and campaign consultants - all of whom are profiting handsomely from mass immigration that's tearing the country apart.

Basic Economics, Fifth Edition: A Common Sense Guide to the Economy

In this fifth edition of Basic Economics, Thomas Sowell revises and updates his popular book on commonsense economics, bringing the world into clearer focus through a basic understanding of the fundamental economic principles and how they explain our lives. Drawing on lively examples from around the world and from centuries of history, Sowell explains basic economic principles for the general public in plain English.

The Truth About Muhammad: Founder of the World's Most Intolerant Religion

In The Truth about Muhammad, New York Times best-selling author and Islam expert Robert Spencer offers an honest and telling portrait of the founder of Islam -- perhaps the first such portrait in half a century -- unbounded by fear and political correctness, unflinching, and willing to face the hard facts about Muhammad's life that continue to affect our world today.

Your Deceptive Mind: A Scientific Guide to Critical Thinking Skills

No skill is more important in today's world than being able to think about, understand, and act on information in an effective and responsible way. What's more, at no point in human history have we had access to so much information, with such relative ease, as we do in the 21st century. But because misinformation out there has increased as well, critical thinking is more important than ever. These 24 rewarding lectures equip you with the knowledge and techniques you need to become a savvier, sharper critical thinker in your professional and personal life.

Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960–2010

In Coming Apart, Charles Murray explores the formation of American classes that are different in kind from anything we have ever known, focusing on whites as a way of driving home the fact that the trends he describes do not break along lines of race or ethnicity.

Treason: A Novel

The world's master terrorist, known only as the Falcon, has infiltrated Washington's highest corridors of power, threatening the very existence of our democracy in this realistic tale of modern-day treason. Major Brooke Grant has been waging war against terrorism since her parents were murdered during 9/11, keenly aware that her enemy transcends borders. But a coordinated attack on the president at the funeral of a Washington power broker leads her to a terrifying revelation.

Church History in Plain Language: Fourth Edition

With more than 315,000 print copies sold, this is the story of the church for today’s listeners. Dr. Bruce Shelley makes church history come alive in this classic audiobook that has become not only the first choice of many laypeople and church leaders but the standard text in many college classrooms.

The Upside of Inequality: How Good Intentions Undermine the Middle Class

Conventional wisdom says income inequality is rising and harmful to nearly everyone, and the rich are to blame. But as Ed Conard shows, anyone who can produce a product valued by the entire economy will find his or her income growing faster than those who are limited by the number of customers they can serve, such as schoolteachers, plumbers, doctors, and lawyers.

Guilty as Sin: Uncovering New Evidence of Corruption and How Hillary Clinton and the Democrats Derailed the FBI Investigation

In his astonishing new book, Edward Klein uncovers the real story behind Hillary's email scandals and the dirty political games that have kept her one step ahead of the law - for now. Klein reveals what the FBI's team of 150+ investigators really found on Clinton's server. How Comey originally threatened to resign over White House attempts to intervene in the investigation, and his secret plan to go around the Justice Department if needed.

Equal Is Unfair: America's Misguided Fight Against Income Inequality

We've all heard that the American Dream is vanishing, and that the cause is rising income inequality. The rich are getting richer by rigging the system in their favor, leaving the rest of us to struggle just to keep our heads above water. To save the American Dream, we're told that we need to fight inequality through tax hikes, wealth redistribution schemes, and a far higher minimum wage.

Publisher's Summary

Past and present civilizations failed and fail for many reasons, but the number-one predictor of a civilization’s survival is its sense of religion—or lack thereof. So argues First Things columnist David Goldman in How Civilizations Die (and Why Islam Is Dying Too).

The strength of a civilization’s religion affects its purpose, its fertility rate, and ultimately, its fate, says Goldman—who then argues that, contrary to popular belief, Islamic countries are in the last throes of death while Christian America is in a position to flourish. Goldman goes on to say that America must embrace our exceptionalism and stop trying to save Muslim countries that are determined to destroy themselves.

Original, stunning, and provocative, How Civilizations Die shows the power of religion to save—or doom—a society and why, if we stick to our principles, we will emerge as leader of another American century.

The week I first started listening to this book, the President of Iran came forward to tell his population to have more babies. From then on, this book had my attention as statistical truth.

There are many things you cannot argue with and, numbers and data are one. Goldman lays out the future of many of our world's civilizations through the use of demographics. From there, he offers a few explanations for why many civilizations are willing themselves out of existence.

For instance, the change in attitude of children now becoming a financial liability rather than an asset. When a society reveres children as an expense, these are the first signs that the civilization is on its way to decline, if not extinction.

Whether you agree with Goldman or not, this is certainly a read that will make you think. Highly recommend this thought provoking book.

Absolutely! Every human being should read this book -- especially our leaders. I consider myself a well-read, well-informed person; but, David Goldman presents ideas I've never heard before. These past eight months, I've gone from knowing almost nothing about Islam to being our local expert. Then I listened to Mr. Goldman! Wow! To say the least, I was blown away! Please, move beyond your prejudices, the reader (dull), the style (dry); and listen to what the man is saying. My God, if only half of what he is saying is true, it's game-changing truth! Population explosion? Absolutely not! Islam taking over the world? No way. The importance of faith? All important! Who are the real world-changers? See that mother over there with four kids. Go tell her, "Thank you for saving America!" I consider this a land-mark book.

What did you like best about this story?

Author Goldman's mind sweeps across history, culture, and disciplines with the cleaving gusto of a swinging broadsword. I like that. He attacks, thrusts, parleys, and destroys the conventional, the sacred, and the politically correct. If you'd like a fresh and unconventional look into the future, read Goldman.

What does Tom Weiner bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I wanted Tom to get more excited, to raise his voice, to drive home the point with vigor. However, having listened to the book three times, I came to appreciate Tom's dignified and measured cadence, his matter-of-fact approach. Tom let the words speak their powerful messages without getting in their way. I commend him for his studied presentation.

If you could give How Civilizations Die (and Why Islam Is Dying Too) a new subtitle, what would it be?

I am hungry for more. The more I reflect on this book, the more questions I have. Each chapter begs to be another whole book. If this truly is what is going to happen, how do we deal with it? How do we save the Arab world from Islam, and what do we give them to replace it? Again, what exactly is it about evangelical faith that produces fertility? Might it be possible that person-to-person relationships between Western and Arab women can and will save the planet? I need the sequel.

Very intersting concepts that I had never been exposed to. I always thought that the Islamic world was exploding in growth such that in a century or so they would take over the world due to sheer numbers. This book offers facts that destroy that belief.

Any additional comments?

The author appears to want his readers/listenters to be fully informed. But for the average person, this book could have been half as long and it still would have provided significant information.

What did you love best about How Civilizations Die (and Why Islam Is Dying Too)?

Sometimes it is necessary to explain the obvious. Anti-human campaigns,such as zero population growth, have consequences that should be obvious, but unfortunately aren't understood until it's too late.

The good news is that Christians who understand the biblical command to be fruitful and multiply are mankind's hope.

The narcissistic, short-sighted, me-centered reap what they sow: few children, and an end to their way of life, necessarily.

What does Tom Weiner bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He read it with emphasis seemingly born of empathy. Very effective.

If you could give How Civilizations Die (and Why Islam Is Dying Too) a new subtitle, what would it be?

I was first taken by the interesting theories of this author. After pondering his ideas, I realized I almost fell into the trap of the idea that has plagued civilization since its inception, and that is, it always a womans' fault, and in this case, the entire female collective. Civilizations die because women stop having children the author writes, and then elaborates extensively with somewhat questionable statics. It is actually a fascinating concept that women in doomed civilizations stop having children, but the author completely ignores the idea that the women are not re-producing because the environment they are in is not conducive for having offspring, whether it is low food supply, war or other societal turmoil. Of course to explore the low birth rates in these collapsing nations from that scientific viewpoint would be inconceivable to a conservative and or religious mindset which is the direction this author approaches the subject with. Perhaps the author will blame a low birth rate for the chaos in Syria and other countries where men are embattled in war and dictators are gassing their own constituency. Will there be a low birthrate now, after the fact of such a hideous landscape emerges? Probably since the havoc raised has driven mothers from the land where they could be having children. It is a preposterous notion to think the opposite is true. The collapse of a society starts with the unraveling of civic order first, then women stop having kids, not the other way around.Yes, many religious societies want their flock to have lots of babies such as Catholics and now Iranian Muslims. But certainly the US will not collapse because women are having less children. The population gets replenished by the influx of immigration, which built the US. But of course, conservatives despise that notion, even though they benefit from the continuous lowering and control over labor prices from the influx. China had years of governmental imposed birth control which was recently relaxed, but they certainly did not die as a civilization. The entire western world has blamed women for its ills starting with Eve in the Garden of Eden. The battle of the sexes will certainly have no end in sight, but no, civilizations don't die because women have less children...they die because the shortsighted ways of evil men create environments that prove to be treacherous for bringing new life into the world.Who would enjoy this book? Folks who want a simplistic answer to the worlds ills, narrated in a fancy pseudo intellectual word salad.

What do you think your next listen will be?

The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution by Francis Fukuyama

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Tom Weiner?

No one, he did a good job, no complaints.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

If you are totally ignorant of historical facts, absolutely prejudiced about almost eveything and think that you and only you hold the keys to all truth and to salvation, this book is for you and you will enjoy it. Otherwise do no bother. As a mathematician the most disturbing thing to me is the flowed logic that is carried on and on.

What could David Goldman have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Get his historical facts right and take some logic courses since he seems not to realize that whatever

Has How Civilizations Die (and Why Islam Is Dying Too) put you off other books in this genre?

Most certainly

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Extremely aggressive tone

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from How Civilizations Die (and Why Islam Is Dying Too)?

I won't cut anything but suggest writer to have a balanced way of writing about Abrahamic religions.

Any additional comments?

Very bad listening experience

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

John

Bristol, United Kingdom

8/13/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"A book of two halves!"

It starts off very academically and logically, putting forward a highly reasoned argument for the book's proposition, as per its title. The key issue is population decline (and the reason therefor).

Okay that is fine but, whether to 'pad out' the book or otherwise, he ends up giving his views about the failings of President Obama and American foreign policy, sounding rather like the lonely, ranting drunk you avoid at the pub bar!

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

Report Inappropriate Content

If you find this review inappropriate and think it should be removed from our site, let us know. This report will be reviewed by Audible and we will take appropriate action.